it depends on what you mean by core... a lot of people mean abs when they say core. If that's the case then i'd throw in 10-15 minutes 2 or 3 times a week. Maybe spend 30 minutes lifting then finish with 10 minutes or so of abs.

But if by core you mean all your core muscles not just your abs then the exercises you choose should be addressing your core organically. What I mean is any heavy compound lift is going to engage your core for stability... Squats, Deadlifts, Bench press, these all work your core effectively that you wouldn't need any additional focus (unless you have some sort of history of injury that would require otherwise).

mzuleger wrote:it depends on what you mean by core... a lot of people mean abs when they say core. If that's the case then i'd throw in 10-15 minutes 2 or 3 times a week. Maybe spend 30 minutes lifting then finish with 10 minutes or so of abs.

But if by core you mean all your core muscles not just your abs then the exercises you choose should be addressing your core organically. What I mean is any heavy compound lift is going to engage your core for stability... Squats, Deadlifts, Bench press, these all work your core effectively that you wouldn't need any additional focus (unless you have some sort of history of injury that would require otherwise).

Hope this helps answer the question

It does help.

I sorta mean both. I have knee issues that don't allow me to do exercises where I bend my knees past (or sometimes even to) parallel to the ground so I can't do normal squats or dead lifts with any sort of weight that would really do much. I have alternative exercises that I do, but I don't know that they engage my core as much as those so I like to supplement my normal workout with some "core" work (I switch between several exercises that are supposedly good for your "core" using a Swiss ball). I still try to stick to mostly compound lifts using a Swiss ball or standing rather than sitting on a bench otherwise, but I'd rather do a bit of extra core work now than worry about back problems later.

My goals also aren't horribly high at the moment. I'm pretty happy with where I am physically so big muscle gains/fat loss isn't really necessary. I'd like to maintain to perhaps get a bit stronger/have less fat, but I'm not horribly confident that I will change a lot for the better with how busy both my personal and professional life is at the moment.

Your core mainly is your Abs and your lower/mid back. Which i guess could involve your hip flexors and whatnot. So the core workouts that would utilize this are all different kinds of ab work. Normal and reverse (to hit lower abs) and for lower back doing certain yoga movements will strengthen your core VERY well. but doing back extensions (dont hyper extend your back) on the leg stabilizer equipment. and isolating it by holding at that position. You dont even NEED weight to do this. But anything that will work your lower back and abs is 'essentially' your core. So the Swiss ball movements im' assuming are a lot of twisting which is great for your obliques (which should help with waist 'snap' on drives. Most people when they work 'abs' they only work the upper abs (crunches and anything chest to knees style) which is great and all but they wonder why they have upper abs but the 'pouch'. Remember: do reverse style crunches. Heels to ceiling, knees to chest, and the like to work the lower abs, they are usually the weaker abs on majority of people.

Looking at your knees issue: if you want to use weights there are things for your back that work quite well. Bend over barbell rows to your lower stomach to isolate the lower back. Straight Leg Dead Lifts are a hamstring but will also utilize your lower back as well. Also Good-Mornings are a lower back workout: if you dont know essentially stand upright with a Barbell on your traps, like your'e going to do a squat. Then with straight-ish legs (knees slightly bent if needed) you keep your head looking up and back flat and bend at the waist so you are a 90' angle at your hips and then back up. Works quite well, just BE CAREFUL. You dont want to start out doing lots of weight on your back, back injuries are the worst and take forever to rehab.

So...started the SL5x5 this morning. I feel like a big pussy in there because of how little you start out with, weight-wise. So, I will report back in a few weeks to see how things progress along with how it might affect my dg game.

BLURR wrote:So...started the SL5x5 this morning. I feel like a big pussy in there because of how little you start out with, weight-wise. So, I will report back in a few weeks to see how things progress along with how it might affect my dg game.

I felt like one too so I jumped ahead. Take it from me and don't skip ahead because you will fail HARD.

I have not jumped ahead yet. But it is tempting. There are a couple of guys that are lifting usually the same time I am and they are hoss'ing around some serious weight. The kid warms up on the bench with 315 bolted down. Working his way up to 375. The other guy who is probably close to 60, starts his deadlift at 300 and works up to 400. It's f'ing ridiculous.

BLURR wrote:I have not jumped ahead yet. But it is tempting. There are a couple of guys that are lifting usually the same time I am and they are hoss'ing around some serious weight. The kid warms up on the bench with 315 bolted down. Working his way up to 375. The other guy who is probably close to 60, starts his deadlift at 300 and works up to 400. It's f'ing ridiculous.

I hear you. I lifted at home without seeing kids warm up with 3 plate and I skipped ahead but then I failed hard. Stay the course man! You'll be pulling those numbers in no time.

BLURR wrote:Today marks the end of the weight loss wager with a buddy of mine(6 months). I didn't quite make the end goal of 190, but I came pretty damn close.

Final stats:- Starting weight of 255 lbs.- Final weight of 191 lbs.

- Starting waist of 45 in.- Final waist of 33 in.

- Starting chest of 48 in.- Final chest of 40 in.

Well done! Have you noticed differences in DG? Distance, staying fresh for longer, clearer head, less bad decisions, more good ones?

Flat shots need running on the center line of the tee and planting each step on the center line. Anhyzer needs running from rear right to front left with the plant step hitting the ground to the left of the line you're running on. Hyzer is the mirror of that.

BLURR wrote:Today marks the end of the weight loss wager with a buddy of mine(6 months). I didn't quite make the end goal of 190, but I came pretty damn close.

Final stats:- Starting weight of 255 lbs.- Final weight of 191 lbs.

- Starting waist of 45 in.- Final waist of 33 in.

- Starting chest of 48 in.- Final chest of 40 in.

Well done! Have you noticed differences in DG? Distance, staying fresh for longer, clearer head, less bad decisions, more good ones?

I can play dg all day long now. I can play two rounds of 18 back to back and be ready to do it again. I seem to have better controlled distance now. Less bad decisions...not so much The one thing that I can do better now is straddle putting. I can straddle putt from about 40 ft. and in without much worry.

So, I added an extra exercise to the SL5x5 and it's only one set like the deadlifts. A friend of mine that does Crossfit told me about this one. Grab a 45 lb. plate and lift it over your head. Now do walking lunges for 50 meters and then turn around and do the 50 meters back again. Talk about a leg and shoulder burner, but I also noticed that my lower back got some burn and so did the ab's.

Set a new personal best today for squat and deadlift. Squatted 330 today and deadlifted 285. Next goal is 400 on the squat and 315 on the dead. I've hit a plateau on the bench though. I can't seemingly break that 225 mark. Need to figure something out here.

BLURR wrote:Set a new personal best today for squat and deadlift. Squatted 330 today and deadlifted 285. Next goal is 400 on the squat and 315 on the dead. I've hit a plateau on the bench though. I can't seemingly break that 225 mark. Need to figure something out here.

Probably not. Only taking in between 1500-2000 calories a day right now. Trying to still trim the fat a little. Want to get down to the single digits in the body fat category.

Yea that's kinda the catch 22. We want to gain muscle mass and lose weight at the same time and when you hit that magical zone of eating too little because you want to eat a deficit and needing to eat more to pack on more mass it sucks.

You may be in that zone but if you're benching 2 plate and squatting 3 plate +, that's pretty bad ass and maybe just keep doing what you're doing until you hit your goal BMI and not worry as much about new PRs on your compounds.